Slalom Consulting

About Slalom Consulting

From modest beginnings

Slalom Consulting is a management and strategy IT implementation
firm born out of Two Degrees LLC, an accounting and financial
service company, in 2001. The firm's first contract was with
AT&T Wireless/Cingular; undoubtedly, the firm was aided in
winning the contract through the connections of National General
Manager John Tobin, previously an executive and consultant at
AT&T Wireless and Ernst & Young. A nascent Slalom
also benefitted from the Enron scandal, which not only led to the
dissolution of Arthur Andersen, but also saw smaller consultancies
gain popularity as it became clear that the large firms were not
infallible. Most of Slalom's early hires were local
consultants with valuable experience, most hailing from more
established consulting outfits.

While Slalom's name might invoke images of a
downhill sprint, in practice the firm relies on sustainability and
measured growth to meet its goals and projections. In 2003,
revenue was reported at just $19.6 million, compared to a revenue
target of over $150 million for 2010-if predictions are accurate,
the firm will have achieved a healthy growth rate of 25
percent. This robust, yet controlled growth pattern has kept
the firm on steady ground despite the unprecedented economic woes
plaguing the industry; in fact, Slalom entered 2010 hiring
aggressively in order to meet ballooning demand for its
services.

Alpine Slalom

While Slalom's early work was dedicated exclusively to
management consulting, the firm has since added technology
implementation and management to its capabilities. Over half
of its business now comes from its tech operations, and in 2005 it
became a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner. Not only does this
sought-after denotation add prestige to the Slalom name, but it
also sees Microsoft regularly recommend Slalom consultants for
implementation of its technology.

The firm has four main service areas: business management,
technology enablement, organization effectiveness and information
management, with business management and organization effectiveness
encompassing much of the territory traditionally dominated by
strategy consulting firms. Slalom's technology enablement
sector covers all the appropriate bases; the firm is fully capable
of designing, configuring and maintaining a corporate technology
infrastructure from scratch. Likewise, Slalom's information
management sector turns around client data in easy-to-access,
easy-to-analyze formats.

One of the firm's high-profile projects saw
Slalom consultants assisting the U.S. Olympic Committee with its
press-box for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. As a result
of their cooperation, the press was more easily able to research
athletes, tracking their histories and activity, including the time
they spent on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Other heavyweight projects the firm has undertaken include an
overhaul of eBay's security infrastructure and the consolidation of
the Gap's four websites into one.

Rest for the weary

Slalom has built something of a reputation for itself as a
lifestyle firm that offers an alternative to the long-hour,
travel-heavy consulting model that's standard at rival firms.
Not only does that free up time for exciting teambuilding
adventures-a Slalom team scaled Mt. Rainier in 2010-it's also
proven to be a keen business decision; Slalom's life-heavy
work/life balance has resulted in attracting some valuable,
experienced talent from rival firms, as well as a young, energetic
set of new consultants.